Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Uster

For one person, living is cheaper in Uster: $3,689 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
Learn more

Uster Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Uster

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Uster actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $3,689 in Uster, rent included.

London $3,986
Uster $3,689

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $5,289 in Uster, rent included.

London $5,791
Uster $5,289

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $6,889 in Uster, rent included.

London $7,595
Uster $6,889

London costs about 8% more than Uster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Uster sit above the global median – London by 195%, Uster by 173%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$30.11 CHF 24.80

-13.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$120 CHF 98.7

-11.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$18.34 CHF 15.10

-41.60%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$6.04 CHF 4.97

-9.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 £2.23

$5.33 CHF 4.39

-44.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$4.79 CHF 3.95

-54.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$8.59 CHF 7.08

6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.73 CHF 5.54

17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-16.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-38.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$4.39 CHF 3.61

-44.87%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$7.35 CHF 6.05

-30.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$32.17 CHF 26.49

-59.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$29.34 CHF 24.17

-64.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$42.64 CHF 35.12

-60.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.44 CHF 2.84

-9.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.81 CHF 2.31

9.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-28.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-20.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-42.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.33 CHF 1.10

35.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.65 CHF 8.77

118.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$12.97 CHF 10.69

0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.34 CHF 2.75

32.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-11.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$99.8 CHF 82.2

147.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.46 CHF 4.50

2.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.28 CHF 2.70

2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$59.4 CHF 48.94

-4.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-2.74%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.2K £28.6K

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

-11.75%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

2.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$372 £279

$233 CHF 192

59.77%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.82 £13.37

$31.89 CHF 26.26

-44.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$65.4 CHF 53.8

-38.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$73.6 CHF 60.6

-18.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$45.51 CHF 37.49

-53.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$21.75 CHF 17.92

-18.44%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,864 £2,149

$1,802 CHF 1,484

58.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

8.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$164 CHF 135

-30.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$86.4 CHF 71.1

-37.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$143 CHF 118

-13.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$173 CHF 142

-5.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,678 CHF 1,382

70.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,759 CHF 1,448

26.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$2,928 CHF 2,412

79.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$2,382 CHF 1,962

58.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

15.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$12.1K CHF 9,993

-33.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$6,850 CHF 5,642

-26.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

1.72

175.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Uster

$1.8K 47.7% 21.2% $474

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Uster

$330 9% 23.3% $100

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Uster

$465 12.6% 20.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Uster

$623 16.9% 78.2% $273

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Uster

$140 3.8% 50.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Uster

$255 6.9% 24.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Uster

$117 3.2% 22.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,678 in Uster. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 36% higher in Uster, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $120 in Uster. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $623 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Uster

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

33,097

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Uster 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Uster

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

London vs Uster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $3,689 in Uster – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $5,534 in Uster. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uster, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 78% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $120 in Uster. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,986 in London and $3,689 in Uster. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,689 in Uster to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Uster. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.